There was no one around, and she didn’t know where to put him, so she could only temporarily take him back to her home.
Fortunately, her father was out for the night on business and wouldn’t be coming home, and her mother was playing cards outside.
“Really, how unlucky I am. I’ve been experiencing all sorts of strange things and meeting peculiar people lately.”
First, she inexplicably encountered a small snake, and now she had inexplicably encountered a severely injured man.
Really!
It took a Herculean effort to help the man up from the ground. He was almost 6. 2 feet tall, much too big for her to lift with her petite frame.
It should have only taken a little over ten minutes to get back home, but today it took half again as long as usual.
By the time Nora got home, she was drenched in sweat.
Slam!
The man was covered in blood, and as he was lifted, she inadvertently got some of it on her dress.
Nora squinted, unlocked the door, and breathlessly dropped the man onto the floor.
She was already drenched in sweat and sat on the floor for a while until she felt calmer, then looked at the man.
In his hand, he still clutched a slightly yellowed photograph, stained with red blood.
She curiously looked at the photo, feeling somehow familiar with it. She walked over and picked it up to take a closer look.
The photo showed a seven or eight-year-old girl wearing a pink floral dress, with dry, yellowish hair twisted into two small braids. Holding a lollipop, she smiled sweetly and mischievously at the camera, exuding innocence.
She recognized the dress.
And although the image was beginning to blur due to its age, she could still make out the person in it-Cheyenne!
This realization tightened Nora’s heartstrings. She looked at the man lying on the floor, curious to guess his identity.
Who is he, really?
Why is he looking for Cheyenne?
As she pondered countless questions in her mind, a clear and rhythmic sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
“Click, click, click…”
It sounded like the subtle clicking of high heels on the ground.
Sure enough, the next second she heard her mother Malaya’s angry voice, “Who spilled tomato sauce at the door? It’s so dirty, clean it up right now!”
“Darn it! No wonder I’ve been losing at cards all night. Turns out there’s a mess like this at home. You all should be damned!”
The household maids had already gone to sleep, but upon hearing her scolding, they hurriedly got up from their beds.
In a daze, they put on their slippers and came to Malaya with a deeply apologetic look. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I don’t know what happened. I cleaned up just now, and everything was spotless before going to bed.”
But Malaya didn’t listen to her explanation. She hadn’t been winning at cards lately, and at the table, she had been mocked by several local wealthy women.
They said she was just a country bumpkin from a small town.
Then they deliberately brought up her lower education as if it mattered. So what if they had all graduated from prestigious universities? If it weren’t for their husbands, would they have the leisurely lives they have now?
After comparing their respective advantages, they started comparing husbands, and when she raised the issue, Malaya became the worst player among her friends.
George was seeing another woman, and they all mocked Malaya for causing trouble when she confronted him. It seemed like she was the shameless one destroying other people’s families.
Unable to bear the humiliation, she was so preoccupied with her thoughts during the card game that she made frequent mistakes.
Malaya had wanted to win big, but instead of winning, she ended up losing all of the hundred thousand she had brought with her.
You see, the Lawrence family had just moved their company to Onistead, and their foundation was still shallow, with profits shrinking by more than half compared to before.
It was only then that George suddenly realized, all the glory and wealth in Akloit had been provided by Kelvin.
In other words, Kelvin’s marriage with Cheyenne brought the Lawrence family great wealth.
Now in Onistead, unfamiliar with the place, and without a strong support, their market share naturally dwindled.
But there was no other way. Since Cheyenne cut off ties with them, and Nora had been involved in successive scandals, the Lawrence family’s reputation in Akloit had turned sour.
At this rate, waiting for death was not an option.
It was better to leave the comfort zone and explore new opportunities.
However, everything that George possessed came from the previous industries of the Edwards family. His rise from a small factory manager to the company president was also due to his marital ties.
Following the old rules, and with the Foley family as backup, they were only able to sustain operations thanks to favorable policies.
His own abilities had little to do with it.
Some of his company’s old employees didn’t follow because they didn’t want to leave their hometown. Lacking exceptional capabilities and understaffed, George’s company was on the decline.
Furthermore, in order to please Jane, he had spent a lot of money, even embezzling what little company funds there were.
Now there was naturally less he could give to Malaya.
Her maternal family’s business had also failed, and those antiques had been reclaimed by Cheyenne. The family was forced to return to their hometown.
The money Malaya used for gambling was from the dowry she had saved for Nora. Nora herself didn’t know about this. If she found out, the mother and daughter would probably have a big quarrel.
So, with money gone, Malaya had been quite irritable lately, frequently scolding the servants at home.
“You know what? What do you do all day besides eating?”
“Get out, I don’t want to see you right now.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the maid, who had been scolded, teared up, and choked back her tears. If she hadn’t been working for a whole year, she might have taken off her apron then and there.
“Mommy? What are you arguing about again? Really, can’t you let me have some peace and quiet?”
Sean, who had just returned, reeking of alcohol, stumbled into the room, a bit unsteady. He had a half-empty beer bottle in his hand.
It was obvious that he had just come back from the bar.
Malaya, upon seeing this, became furious, grabbing his ear and pinching it hard.
“Where are you moseying off to? Look at you, at the very least you’re a college student now. How come you don’t go to class and just spend your days drinking and sleeping?”
“Ouch, Mom, gentle, gentle please.”
In the living room, Sean’s wails pierced the air.
As for why he drank and didn’t go to class, it was all because his sister had indirectly caused the death of Mikaela’s older sister.
Now that Mikaela had broken up with him, he was feeling very distressed.
Only alcohol could numb his pain and provide a moment of relief.
If it wasn’t for being out of money tonight, Sean wouldn’t have wanted to come back.